Accomplishments
"There is work to be done and obligations to be met - obligations to truth, to justice, and to liberty.”
John F. Kennedy
Consistently rated “Excellent” by a Majority of the Houston Bar Association members in 2023, 2021, and 2019 Judicial Polls
(Poll Taken Every Odd Year)
AWARDS
Trial Judge of the Year by the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists, 2024
Recipient of the Victory Fund’s Annise Parker Leadership Award, 2023
Houston Bar Association’s President’s Award, 2022
Recipient of the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus Barnish Award, 2021
Consistently rated “Excellent” by a Majority of the Houston Bar Association members in 2023, 2021, and 2019 judicial polls (poll is taken every odd year)
JUDICIAL LEADERSHIP
Legislative Chair of the 67 State District Courts located in Harris County, 2024 and 2025
Rules Committee Chair of the Harris County State District Courts’ Civil Trial Division, 2025
State Bar of Texas LGBT Law Section Council Member, 2025
Administrative Judge of the Harris County State District Courts’ Civil Trial Division, 2022, 2023
Co-Chair of the Houston Bar Association’s Civil/Appellate Bench Bar Conference, 2023, 2025
Co-Chair of the Houston Bar Association’s LGBTQ+ Committee, 2021-2023
Co-Chair of the Harris County State District Courts’ Civil Trial Division’s Ethics and Continuing Legal Education Committee, 2020, 2021
Harris County State Civil District Court Liaison to the Harris County District Clerk’s office, 2019, 2020, and 2025
First judge in Harris County to preside over a Zoom bench trial during Covid-19 Pandemic
First judge in Harris County to preside over the first in-person jury trial during Covid-19 Pandemic (August 2020).
Pretrial Judge of the Multidistrict Litigation In re July 27 Chemical Release Litigation
Pretrial Judge of the Multidistrict Litigation In re Channelview Flooding Litigation
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
LSU College of Music and Dramatic Arts Dean’s Taskforce (LSU CMDA), 2016-2025
Member
State Bar of Texas’ Texas Minority Counsel Program (TMCP), 2015-2018
Steering Committee Member; Co-Chair CLE Committee, 2016-2018
Lambda Legal, 2015-2017
Co-Founder & Co-Chair of the Houston Leadership Committee
Member, Lambda Legal National Leadership Council
Houston Grand Opera’s Overture, 2016-2018
Co-Founder & Executive Committee Member
LIVE CONSORTIUM, 2008-2018
Founder & President
Devereux Young Ambassadors, 2010-2011
Founding Executive Committee Member
The Center for AIDS Information and Advocacy, 2006-2008
Member of the Board of Directors and Development Committee